Posted on 09/11/2006 3:55:47 AM PDT by knighthawk
Prez & Laura mark solemn tributes at Ground Zero
In every corner of every borough, young and old will gather today to remember. Many will listen as solemn church bells pierce the quiet of 8:46 a.m., the moment the first plane struck the north tower.
Some will descend to the lowest level of Ground Zero and tearfully whisper their loved ones' names.
And many will simply attend to the mundane details of their lives, pausing briefly to give thanks that they're able to go through ordinary routines on a day President Bush called a time for "renewing resolve."
The ceremonies marking the fifth anniversary of 9/11 began yesterday as President Bush and First Lady Laura Bush visited Ground Zero in somber silence, walking hand in hand down a flag-lined ramp beside a Marine escort.
The Bushes set floral wreaths adrift in the square reflecting pools where the towers once stood, where 2,749 were killed by the hand of terror.
The First Couple later attended a prayer service at nearby St. Paul's Chapel, sitting with the loved ones of 9/11 victims - including Arlene Howard, the mother of Port Authority Officer George Howard, whose badge Bush carries as a reminder of the attacks.
The crowd in the historic 240-year-old church, where George Washington worshiped, listened as clergy spoke of resurrection and redemption, and as Irish tenor Ronan Tynan sang, "Be Still My Soul."
'A heavy heart'
The President, marking the 9/11 anniversary at Ground Zero for the first time since 2002, then made an unscheduled stop at Ladder 10/Engine 10 on nearby Liberty St. and shook hands with firefighters.
"Laura and I approach tomorrow with a heavy heart. It's hard not to think about the people who lost their lives on September the 11th, 2001," he said, standing just steps from the 56-foot bronze bas-relief memorializing the 343 FDNY members killed on the the nation's most tragic day.
Of the relatives who lost loved ones, Bush said, "I just wish there were some way we could make them whole."
Bush, who also visited the new Tribute Center, vowed, "I'm never going to forget the lessons of that day."
Calling this anniversary "a day of renewing resolve," he said, "There's still an enemy out there that would like to inflict the same kind of damage again."
The comments surprised some because aides earlier had stressed Bush's desire to keep politics out of his memorial visit. The statements came after he passed about a dozen protestors who were shouting, "Arrest Bush!" outside St. Paul's.
Yesterday's events were the first stops of a two-day tour that will take the President to Ladder 18 on Pitt St. this morning; to the field in Shanksville, Pa., where United Flight 93 crashed, and back to the Pentagon.
His public day will end with a 20-minute, live address from the Oval Office at 9 p.m.
In New York, the ceremony at Ground Zero will be punctuated by moments of silence amid the reading of the victims' names. Loved ones of those killed will be allowed to descend to the lowest level of the site to lay flowers.
Mayor Bloomberg did not join the Bushes as they toured lower Manhattan yesterday. Former Mayor Rudy Giuliani and Gov. Pataki greeted the President at the Wall St. helicopter pad.
"After Sept. 11, we had an outpouring of patriotism and unity," Pataki said. "I think it's very important now that we capture that. We have to recapture it."
Honoring the many heroes
Earlier in the day, Pataki hosted a "Salute to First Responders" on the top floor of 7 World Trade Center - an event attended by more than 400 firefighters, emergency medical technicians and police officers from 38 states.
It was the first group reunion for the heroes since they raced valiantly to smoldering rubble after the towers fell.
"You are the true heroes of Sept. 11, the men and women who willingly thrust yourself into danger's path on the hope you could save a single life," Pataki told the crowd. "You set a new standard for heroism the world over."
Tom Miner, a search and rescue expert from Washington State, recalled the difficulty of packing his bags on 9/11 and having to wait several days for a flight. He had met FDNY Fire Chief Ray Downey when they both responded to the Oklahoma City bombings. And he was devastated to hear Downey was lost in the attacks.
"The waiting was the toughest. We just wanted to help any way we could," he said.
Bloomberg yesterday attended a memorial service at St. Patrick's Cathedral, where hundreds of friends, family members and firefighters gathered to remember the fallen. He called the 343 members of the FDNY who perished "shining lights from our city's darkest day."
"Their combined efforts helped pull off the greatest rescue operation in our nation's history," he said. "Because of that, thousands of New Yorkers are alive today and with their families."
At one point during the two-hour ceremony, the cathedral went dark and family members were asked to turn on electric candles to remember loved ones.
'So proud of my son'
As family members left the cathedral, they walked through a line of 343 firefighters holding American flags to represent each of the FDNY members killed.
"I'm so proud of my son, he is a hero to all of us," said Nancy Cimei, whose son, Firefighter Michael D'Auria, was killed in the collapse.
"Five years, it doesn't matter," she said, brushing away tears. "He was my baby."
With Rachel Scheier and Jess Wisloski
GOD BLESS AMERICA.
They said that about the holocaust too...
Many people, and most kids, don't even believe it happened any more..
Forums chide you for "Godwin-ing" the thread.. ( and the most they know is it's a hitler reference, which is always considered irrelevant, out of context, or a myth, etc..)
Give the world 100 years, and the holocaust will be relegated to footnotes in history books, with heated debates over whether it really ever happened..
Likewise, people are now throwing around the phrase, "never forget" once again..
All I've got to say is, Don't say it if you don't mean it...
I don't mean to diminish what happened on 9-11, but let's face the truth..
How are we going to remember the loss of 3,000 if, after 60 years, we are hard put to remember the loss of (at least) 6 million?
At some point, the whole idea, the phrase, becomes kind of meaningless..
NEVER EVER FORGET!!
Bless those whose lives were lost, bless those whose lives were changed.
I'll add mine - I vow never to forget.
Never forget, never forgive!
Ping
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.